1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of removing fluid from containers, and more particularly to a tool for insertion into the wall of a container with fluid, i.e. an oil filter, to permit the fluid to be evacuated therefrom, before the filter is removed from the motor or machinery, to avoid leakage of the fluid from the filter.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Lubrication systems in machinery, aircraft and vehicles require that their lubricants, viz., oil, and oil filters be replaced periodically in order to maintain the good working order of the engine and machinery. For passenger automobiles, many mechanics recommend a oil and filter change every 3,000 miles of travel to maintain maximum engine life. Professional truckers put thousands of miles on their trucks every week and wait many, many hours for oil changes over the course of a year.
Replacing the oil in a motor vehicle typically involves placing a large oil drain basin under the oil pan, removing the drain plug, thereby allowing the oil to drain therein, and unscrewing the oil filter from the engine block. Due to the engine designs of most engines, it has been difficult to remove oil filters without spilling oil onto the frame of the vehicle, on the mechanics and/or the ground. This is not only messy, but is environmentally unsound. Since many oil changes are conducted when the oil is very hot, this also poses a safety hazard to mechanics.
Attempts have been made to overcome these problems in changing oil filters. U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,529 to Sikula, Jr. discloses an oil filter draining wrench which has a cylindrical housing with a center punch for punching and draining oil from an oil filter. The filter wrench is hammered onto the filter. A rubber gasket at the open end of the cylindrical housing sealingly engages the outside of the oil filter, and prevents oil from leaking out around the punch. An oil drain outlet is used to drain the oil from the housing which collects it. In the tight engine compartments of modern motor vehicles, there is rarely enough space to place such a housing over the oil filter much less to swing a hammer.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,776,431 and 4,865,156 to Poling disclose oil change devices and methods which utilize punches and vacuum chambers. The vacuum chambers are attached by suction to the oil filter, and the punches are driven into the filter's sidewalls, penetrating the filter. The oil will thus be evacuated out of the filter, through the vacuum chamber, and out the evacuation tube. The Poling devices unduly rely on the vacuum seal thus established, and these devices would not be expected to operate reliably.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,714 to Kilgore discloses what is said to be a self-sealing oil filter punch, which is driven into the metal housing of an oil filter, so the oil can be drained through the hollow center of the punch and out the oil filter. The sharp tip of the punch is pushed through the bottom of the oil filter, and the punch has a resilient washer for sealing the punch against the oil filter's housing. A spigot valve is located on the end of the Kilgore device to control the oil flow through the punch. The Kilgore oil filter punch lacks means to positively engage the oil filter punch in fluid tight contact with the oil filter's housing, and jarring of the punch would be expected to unseat the seal. Moreover, if the spigot valve handle is advertently turned at an inopportune time, oil will spill out of the filter.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,248,251 to Breaux discloses a faucet which is bored into a barrel to gain access to its contents. The faucet has an auger at its tip, for drilling into the barrel, which transitions into a smooth, widening tapered shaft which is driven into the barrel to provide frictional sealing engagement with walls of the barrel. While the Breaux device may be acceptable for wood barrels, it would not be expected to function in the case of metal container, such as thin, metal-walled oil filters.
A patent application filed on or about Jul. 14, 1994, the names of David A. Kammeraad, Jack C. Canon and Dwain L. Kamphuis, assigned to K-Line Industries, Inc., and entitled "Tool and Method for Removing Fluid from a Container", teaches a drain tool with an expanding acme threaded screw portion and a Femco oil valve. The co-inventor herein James E. Clark II should have but was not named as co-inventor to the Kammeraad, et al. patent application.
The oil drain tools of the instant inventor's patent application Ser. No. 08/300,402 solve most of the problems inherent with the prior art, but are sometimes susceptible to breakage.
There accordingly remains a need for a filter draining fitting which is not only easy to use, simple in design, and which provides for leak proof operation, but which is designed to withstand long term use without damage.